Monthly Archives: August 2018

A pool party can come to an end fast if bees show up uninvited. It turns out, most bees are attracted to pools because they want to quench their thirst. Luckily, there are a couple of ways to make sure they don’t crash the party.

Bring out the plants. While bees normally love plants, they aren’t friends with all of them – including mint and lemongrass. Feel free to plant these near your pool to act as a natural repellant.

Use dryer sheets. As mentioned before, certain smells can be a real turn off for bees. We use dryer sheets to give our clothes a fresh smell, but bees hate them. Place the dryer sheets in cups around the pool to keep bees away. Be sure to change them once they lose their scent.

If your goal is to reduce your pool operation costs and be kinder to the planet, you might want to consider installing solar panels to help heat your pool.

Solar pool heaters allow water to be pumped through a filter and then through a solar collector, where it is heated. The heated water is then pushed back into the pool. The $3,000 to $4,000 investment can be great for those who are able to install solar panels in an unshaded area to collect direct solar energy.

As an added bonus, the solar collectors can also help cool the pool during the summer months.

Pool safety for children is a major concern for parents but there are a handful of things you can do to keep your family safe.

Teach your children to swim. Expose your children to the water at an early age (with adult supervision) through swimming lessons and fun water activities. The more they are acquainted with the water, the less curious they will be about wanting to run into the pool when no one is looking.

Say no to drains. Show your children what a pool drain looks like and explain to them why they should not go near them. Many pools have strong suction that helps circulate water. Hair, loose items and swim suits can get stuck in the drain if you’re nearby too long. Be sure all drains are covered.

Find the best barriers and door locks. Pool fences and special locks should be installed near your pool and on the doors that help access the pool. This will keep children out when the pool is not in use.

Learn CPR. You never know when an emergency could happen. As an adult supervising children in a pool, knowing how to perform CPR correctly could save a life.

There is a good reason why everyone is throwing tennis balls into their swimming pools. Not only are they the star of the show during a tennis match, they can also help you clean your swimming pool.

Sure, you can use traditional chemicals, but tennis balls can help give your pool a little scrub when you’re not in the mood to do it yourself. The rough exterior of the tennis balls will soak up dirt and oil that don’t belong in the pool – like sunscreens, lotions and hair products that have made their way into the water.

All you’ll need to do is toss in a tennis ball or two and let them work their magic.